1. Field of the Description
The present description relates, in general, to methods and systems for providing visual displays and live events in outdoor settings or venues, and, more particularly, to methods and systems for enhancing a viewer's appreciation or experience of a live event with visual components, such as a firework display or a water show, when the viewer is at a location remote to the visual components (e.g., a “remote viewing location”).
2. Relevant Background
There are many settings where entertainment is provided in an outdoor setting or venue, and the entertainment combines a large visual display made up of numerous components (or “visual components”) with an audio soundtrack (or “audio components”). For example, a fireworks display or show is a display of the effects created by numerous firework devices, and the triggering of the firework devices may be synchronized with an appropriate soundtrack of themed music or sound effects. In the United States, firework displays are often provided to celebrate Independence Day, and a soundtrack of patriotically themed music is played during the fireworks display with certain effects timed to or synchronized with the playing of certain songs or portions of the soundtrack (e.g., “rockets' red glare” timed with fireworks that create large red streaks or plumes and so on).
As another example, large fountain-based shows often combine spraying water, which may be selectively illuminated to provide water and light-based visual components, with the playing of a soundtrack. The music or sound effects provided may be synchronized to the triggering of operation of the fountains, e.g., softer or slower music when the fountains are providing fewer and/or smaller streams and louder and/or faster tempo music when the fountains are providing many and/or larger streams of water. Light and/or laser shows are also used to entertain audiences in outdoor settings, and these shows typically combine visual effects with a soundtrack suited to and timed with the visual effects to create an exciting and/or appealing experience for the audience members. Outdoor entertainment may also include providing a movie on a large outdoor screen and using nearby speakers to provide the corresponding and time-synchronized audio components (e.g., actors' dialog, music, and sound effects).
There are many settings where it is desirable to provide entertainment that combines large visual effects or components with audio effects or components. These settings include theme parks, sports stadiums, street fairs, and holiday celebrations in parks, on city streets, and other outdoor environments. While popular, outdoor entertainment that combines visual and audio components can typically only be fully enjoyed by members of an audience located a finite and relatively small distance from the source of the audio components. When the entertainment or show is experienced from too great a distance, the soundtrack or audio components are no longer properly synchronized or timed (as desired by the show's director or as intended) with the visual components.
Because sound travels much more slowly than light, the visual components reach a viewer of the show located at a remote location very quickly (or nearly instantaneously) while there is delay or lag before the corresponding audio components are perceived. The “remote” viewers or audience members may be only a few city blocks away before the visual-to-audio synchronization is lost and/or before the sound simply loses its quality (e.g., becomes distorted or is too soft to be properly enjoyed).
Hence, there remains a need for methods and systems that allow a person at a remote location to enjoy a live show (e.g., an outdoor show or entertainment event) that includes visual components and audio components.